Because You're Important
by DeathByDarkness13
Summary: "Hey Haru, during that race, didn't you feel something too?" HaruRinRalia, RinHaru. A continuation of what happened that night in Australia.


_A/N: Hello darling readers! I am in fact still alive, and yes I know I need to write and update more *sweats nervously* but life has been overwhelming lately. At least I pop out a fic annually at the bare minimum! So basically HaruRinRalia is the greatest thing ever and this is a continuation of that beautiful Australia episode from the part where they are sharing the bed and there is much pillow talk, and it picks up from Rin's question to Haru._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Free!, nor do I want to (too many feelings). Please be kind and drop a review, thank you. Enjoy._

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><p><strong>Because You're Important<strong>

_"Lay me down,_

_And tell me everything will be alright,_

_Thunder storms could never shake us_

_Lay me down and kiss me like_

_Things will be alright,_

_Everything will be alright_

_This could mean everything, or nothing at all."_

_-Sleeping With Sirens_

"Hey Haru, during that race, didn't you feel something, too?" Rin asked softly.

The silence settled over them like a thick blanket, muffling all sound though it wasn't exactly uncomfortable. Rin closed his eyes in a peaceful smile, having not expected an answer anyway, and tucked his free arm under the warm green blankets, opting to stay on his back. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow, so it was probably time to get some sleep anyway.

But although Haru hadn't voiced an answer, and had he been lying facing Rin, his eyes would have said everything. His deep blue irises could best be described as rippling water, that beautiful oceanic hue shimmering with emotion and Rin's answer. Suddenly Haru's mind was flooded with memories. The first time he had met Rin, to their fateful meeting under the cherry blossom tree just last year, to Rin showing up on his doorstep and taking him here to Australia.

He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, a million questions racing through his head at once. Haru didn't know what to do, should he just let the moment pass and go to sleep and forget about it? He snuggled deeper into the blankets. _Maybe I'll just stay quiet..._

"'Night, Haru," Rin called gently, and before Haru could control himself his arm shot back and grabbed Rin's hand tightly.

"Haru?" Rin asked in shock, tentatively returning the pressure by squeezing Haru's hand back to let him know it was okay. Though the dark-haired boy was still facing away from Rin, the slight blush on the tips of his ears was quite visible, but fortunately Rin chose not to comment.

"Rin..." Haru mumbled quietly, taking a deep breath before sitting up and looking down at the surprised red-head. His sapphire eyes blazed into Rin's ruby ones as he finally spoke. He still hadn't let go of Rin's hand. "Why?"

At first, Rin's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but as he stared at Haru's serious expression and intense blue eyes he understood. He glanced away, keeping his expression neutral.

"Because... you're important."

Out of the corner of Rin's eye, he saw Haru blink in surprise. Rin chuckled inwardly, staring up at the bare ceiling with sudden nostalgia.

"You just saved me, ya know?" Rin smiled fondly, giving Haru's hand a little squeeze. "I was slipping, I was gonna quit swimming, I was on the brink of losing everything, and no matter how much I pushed you away you still... you didn't give up on me. You showed me the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen before."

Rin sat up suddenly, meeting Haru's shimmering blue eyes with his own. He used his free hand to gently brush a stray lock of midnight hair behind Haru's ear, Haru's long eyelashes fluttering a little at the touch.

"You're special to me, Haru. Probably the most important person in my life.. and now it's my turn to save you. So just hang in there and let me do this alright?" Rin finished with a toothy grin and a slight flush to his cheeks. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You're... important too."

Rin froze and looked back at the other boy in surprise. Haru was glancing away, an adorable pout on his face accompanied with a pretty pink blush spread over his cheeks and ears. Rin's expression morphed into an affectionate smile, and then he started to laugh, bumping his forehead playfully to Haru's.

Haru sighed, letting the tiniest of smiles grace his lips as Rin's chuckling died down. He didn't move, comfortable with his forehead resting lightly on the red-head's.

"Thank you, Rin," he murmured softly. The red-head grinned joyously, his shark-like teeth glinting slightly in the dark hotel room.

"Don't mention it," Rin replied contentedly, playfully nudging Haru's nose with his own. Haru fought down another little smile, blushing fiercely as warmth filled his chest. He peered down at their hands, still laced tightly together. Rin followed his line of sight, quickly getting flustered and shaking Haru's hand off, his face flushing the same shade of red as his hair.

"I, uh, w-we should get to bed, yeah?" He gulped nervously, grabbing a handful of the plush green blankets, about to yank them up and bury himself under them forever in sudden embarrassment, but then he froze. The tension suddenly left his body in a huff, and the blankets slid from his grasp as he took a moment to contemplate his actions.

"Wait, Haru..." Rin began quietly, his voice strangely delicate in the silent room, as if any sudden movement or sound would shatter the intimate atmosphere and they would find themselves back in Japan, as if they were sharing some deep secret. Haru cocked his head to the side in question, watching his companion curiously as the red-head pulled himself back into the same position as before, gazing at him fiercely. Rin took a deep breath before continuing.

"Don't hate me, I just, I need to see something alright?"

Haru blinked in surprise and slight offense at the first part, and then his heart rate picked up speed and anxiety began to spread through his now tense limbs in apprehension. _Is he gonna leave again?_ The thought scared Haru more than anything.

"Rin," he began only slightly frantically. "I could never ha-"

He was suddenly cut off by a pair of warm, surprisingly soft and gentle lips pressing against his own. Rin was...

Rin was kissing him.

Haru's eyes widened in shock, and he stiffened automatically. Rin took that as his cue to pull back. His cheeks were flushed in embarrassment, as scarlet as his hair, and his eyes were apologetic and a little sad as he took in Haru's reaction.

"Sorry, I won't do it again, but Haru I need you to know that I, I've always-"

But it was Rin's turn to be cut off by Haru's lips, kissing him tentatively. Rin let out a strange choking noise from the back of his throat, swallowing down his own desires as he forced himself to push Haru away.

"Haru, you don't have to do this," he told him seriously but softly, gazing at him with tired, yet gentle maroon eyes.

"Rin."

Haru grabbed Rin's hand resting on his shoulder tightly, peering intensely into the red-head's surprised face, his oceanic blue eyes shimmering and intense like waves in the sea lapping against the sand on a dark, starry night. Through just the saying of Rin's name in that uncharacteristically sharp and pleading tone, as well as his expressive sapphire eyes, Haru was able to convey everything that he could not say. Rin's eyes widened in shock and understanding, able to finally read his companion's thoughts and feelings.

Haru fought back a smile, leaning forward to plant a sweet little kiss on Rin's forehead. _Idiot_, he thought fondly.

Rin's eyes brimmed with happy tears, letting out a soft, disbelieving laugh as he knocked his forehead to Haru's. This time the dark-haired boy couldn't help the tiny smile that slipped onto his face, as Rin relaxed against him. Haru brought a hand to Rin's cheek, slowly tucking a stray strand of ruby-red hair behind his ear causing the other boy to catch his breath. He kept his hand there, gently caressing the soft pale skin of Rin's cheek with his thumb.

"You sure?" Rin asked hesitantly, cupping Haru's chin with his thumb and pointer finger.

"Yes," Haru responded with conviction, completely sure that this was what he wanted; had always wanted. Rin smiled gently, his eyes fluttering shut as he guided Haru's lips back to his own in what should have been their first kiss.

Their lips met in a soft, chaste little kiss at first, just a mere brushing of lips like a feather caressing skin, and then deepened as Rin pushed closer to Haru, opening his mouth slightly to taste and moving his hands down to Haru's waist. Haru followed Rin's lead, still slightly nervous despite discovering that their feelings were mutual, as this was his first time doing anything remotely intimate with someone else. But Rin was gentle and patient, kissing him chastely and slowly allowing Haru to completely relax into their kiss.

He was surprised at how raw Rin tasted; it was all natural and skin and just a little bit sweet and just plain Rin, and it was so pleasant that Haru worried that he would become addicted to this taste. He smelled a little different too, the usual scent of chlorine not present to obscure his natural scent since he hadn't swam that day. It was warm and masculine, and very comforting, causing Haru to inhale deeply and deepen the kiss further by opening his mouth a little bit wider, Rin complying happily.

Rin made a content noise in the back of his throat as Haru's hands found their way into his scarlet hair, mussing it up a bit and tugging and pulling, and _wow_ did that feel amazing. He suggestively brushed his tongue against Haru's, earning a shudder from the dark-haired boy causing him to pull Rin tighter against him, their chests pressed together intimately. Haru brushed his tongue against Rin's this time, causing both boys to heat up significantly. Their kisses became harder and more heated, as they swirled their tongues around each other's and explored the insides of each other's mouths. Haru was practically in Rin's lap, one hand tangled deep in Rin's thick red hair, and the other wrapped tight around his shoulders as he insistently started sucking on Rin's tongue, causing the other to growl possessively and start nipping at Haru's botton lip eliciting a gasp from said dark-haired boy. Haru in turn began to nip and suck on Rin's upper lip, making both boys moan. They pushed as close together as humanely possible, Rin massaging circles into Haru's hips with his thumbs.

Suddenly their clothing was too much of a barrier, and they frantically stripped each other's shirts off, tossing them carelessly to the floor. Their eyes met, both sets of pupils dilated and cloudy with desire, but that's when they stopped.

Although they had seen each other shirtless numerous times when they had swam and raced together, even seeing each other naked a few times in the locker room, this time was so much different. It was something special and intimate, almost sacred, and in the quiet dark of their hotel room they took a moment just to really look at each other, exposed and vulnerable for the other to see.

Rin smiled softly, taking in Haru's pale, slightly olive skin bathed in moonlight making it look almost luminescent. Although he was slender, he had sharply defined muscles and was toned nicely from years of swimming. His midnight black hair was dishevelled from their passionate make-out session, his sapphire eyes glazed and darkened by affection and desire, his lips pink and swollen from one too many kisses.

He looked like an angel. Or maybe siren was a better word for the water-lover, or mermaid? Whatever. He was...

"You're beautiful," Rin blurted out, grinning toothily when he received a dark blush and a pout of embarrassment from Haru. The dark-haired boy glared at the wall in mortification, his blush spreading to the tips of his ears and neck.

"S-So are you," he mumbled shyly, taking another peek at Rin's pale, but tan skin and sharply defined muscles. Rin smiled, taking Haru's hands and pulling him closer to peck him playfully on the nose. Haru sighed, a tiny smile forming as he closed his eyes in contentment. Soon they were kissing passionately again, hands roaming curiously over skin and tracing patterns with the soft pads of their fingertips. Breaths became shallower as their skin slid perfectly together, Rin nipping desperately at Haru's neck before going back to the dark-haired boy's swollen lips.

Suddenly they were falling, and Haru found himself on his back looking up at Rin, the red-head sprawled on top of him. For a moment they just stared at each other before Rin burst out laughing, embracing Haru tightly as said dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow in both confusion and amusement.

"What's so funny?" Haru asked in bewilderment, as Rin finally calmed down and beamed down at his companion. He intertwined their fingers together and pressed closer to Haru, rubbing their noses together playfully causing Haru to blush a little.

"I'm just happy," Rin murmured, the corners of Haru's eyes crinkling with a small but blinding smile. "We've come a long way, huh Haru?"

Haru leaned up and kissed him softly; when they separated he kept their foreheads pressed together and gently ran his fingers through Rin's messy red hair, his oceanic blues eyes shimmering with unwavering affection.

"Yeah, we have," he responded softly, suddenly gazing up at Rin with a playful smirk. "Romantic, right?"

.

.

.

The End.

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><p><em>AN: That cheesy as hell ending just kind of happened, and then I was too lazy to change it. Eh. So how was it? Let me know!_

_*whispers* the cheese is real_


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